Verizon sidesteps Qualcomm spat, pays Broadcom itself
Sprint and Qualcomm have something else in mind, but we guess this is one way to get around the issue: Verizon has apparently lost patience with the ongoing tiff between Broadcom and Qualcomm that ultimately led to a ban on the import of some of the latter's 3G chipsets, opting instead to just pay Broadcom to license the affected patents itself. The agreement gives Verizon free reign to import all the 3G silicon it needs in exchange for $6 per handset, capping out at $40 million per quarter with a lifetime max of $200 million (oh, and Verizon promises to stop supporting Qualcomm's efforts to overturn the chip ban, too). Not a bad deal, we'd say, considering the totally critical nature of the chips to Verizon Wireless' core business -- kinda makes Verizon look like the parent and the two chip vendors like irrational, inconsolable toddlers, does it not?
[Via Phone Scoop]
